10 Aug
Blog

PuroPro Review: Save Your Hearing While Savoring The Sound

PuroPro headphones

"Crank & # 39; em to 11. With the built-in volume limiter, your ears will thank you."

  • Very convenient

  • Very good sound quality

  • Healthy volume limitation

  • Good battery life

  • Mediocre ANC

  • No multi-device pairing

  • No fast charging

What do you look for when buying new wireless headphones?

Good sound? Obviously. Long battery life? Yes, please. Active noise cancellation (ANC)? Yes of course. I mean it's 2020 isn't it? What about hearing protection?

Say what?

Exactly.

Puro Sound Labs has focused on one idea since its inception: Preventing Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) by developing headphones that automatically limit their maximum volume to safe levels.

The company rightly received props for its kid-friendly Puro headphones, but now it's targeting an entirely different market: those looking for a high-performance set of ANC wireless headphones.

Can his $ 200 PuroPro deliver all the bells and whistles we're used to while taking care of our overworked ears? Let's find out.

What's in the box?

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Before we discuss what is in the box, let's take a moment and appreciate the box itself. I am going to assume that it is balsa wood, that it is incredibly light, and that it easily deals with the question of what with What to do with the packaging of the headphones is: just use it as you wish.

It looks pretty good, and while it obviously doesn't require much abuse, it could be a handy place to store charging cables, pen drives, or any number of other digital accessories that have taken over our lives.

In this box you will find the PuroPro in its hard-shell carrying case as well as a micro-USB charging cable and an analogue cable for volume limitation. Apart from the cardboard sleeve with which the wooden box is wrapped, the PuroPro does not contain any materials that have to be disposed of or recycled.

design

One look at the PuroPro and you will know exactly what inspired its design. They are a real eye-catcher for the wireless headphones WH-1000XM4 from Sony. That's not a bad thing. If you want to copy someone, you can copy the best too.

The resemblance goes deeper than the looks, although they are clad in matte black plastic, they really look very similar. The sleek, pivoting ear cups are held in place with forks that blend seamlessly with the headband. These can be rotated a full 45 degrees so that the ear cups lie flat around the neck and can be folded up on the integrated hinges for easier storage.

The ear pads are very plush and super comfortable. But because they're so well padded, there's a fair bit of leeway. Move too fast and you can feel the PuroPro shifting on your head. Those with larger heads may not notice this as much, but my noggin was already on the smallest headband setting so people with smaller heads might find it problematic.

As long as you don't plan on using them for jogging, I wouldn't worry about that. I certainly wouldn't forego an ounce of their impressive comfort for more stability.

The fork vertebrae move with virtually no resistance, and while that sounds good, it reminds me of mechanisms on cheaper models – it's the only thing that detracts from an otherwise high-quality design.

Battery life

PuroPro headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

After 32 hours of claimed battery life with the ANC turned off and 28 hours with the ANC turned on, the PuroPro are spot on with some of the best wireless ANC headphones. It's roughly the same as the Sony WH-1000XM3 or XM4 and much better than the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, which only lasted 20 hours.

There is no quick charge option that virtually all headphones have these days.

It takes a long time to fully charge, but strangely enough, there is no quick charge option that virtually all headphones have these days.

The charging process takes place via a micro USB connection. Depending on your smartphone, you may need to carry two cables with you when you travel.

Control and ease of use

PuroPro headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

You will not find any fancy touch controls on the PuroPro. Instead, you get a simple and easy-to-use set of physical buttons on the bottom of the right ear cup.

It's a pretty typical arrangement: a rocker button is used to change the volume and track skipping functions, while the power button acts as a multifunctional control for power, play / pause, answer / end calls, access to voice assistants and Putting on the headphones is used in the Bluetooth pairing mode.

With a third button you can switch through the three ANC modes (two ANC levels plus one off mode).

Once you remember the keystroke sequences, using the controls becomes effortless.

At just $ 200, the PuroPro can't be expected to have all of the features that more expensive headphones have, but I wish it had two: a wear sensor that some wireless headphones use to automatically pause music when you remove them from your ear and Bluetooth Multipoint, which means you can pair the headphones with two devices such as a phone and a computer at the same time.

Sound quality

PuroPro headphonesSimon Cohen / Digital Trends

Although these are headphones that intentionally limit the volume, the PuroPro makes an admirable contribution to maintaining sound quality.

Their EQ is remarkably neutral and mostly avoids playing favorites with low, medium or high frequencies. The bass is clear but never overwhelming, and both vocals and instruments have a chance to shine.

There's both warmth and definition, and although the PuroPro doesn't place individual sounds around you with great precision, the soundstage itself is still comfortably wide.

Their EQ is remarkably neutral and mostly avoids playing favorites with low, medium or high frequencies.

In order to hear the PuroPro at its best, you must activate the ANC function at least on level 1. Without the ANC switched on, low-end sounds suddenly lose their power and the mids and highs turn up uncomfortably. This has the effect of overemphasizing the singing, most noticeable in male tenor singers. On The Doors & # 39; deeply haunted Riders On The Storm, Jim Morrison's voice is more sharp than smoky.

Fortunately, this bizarre ANC requirement doesn't affect the PuroPro's analog wired performance – you get all of the sound quality even when these are turned off.

Volume limit

Not only are the PuroPro really decent wireless headphones, but their main attraction is the volume limiter too.

If you're using the headphones wirelessly, you can choose between the default 85dB maximum volume or switch to the more liberal 95dB by pressing and holding the volume buttons for three seconds. If you use the supplied analog cable for wired listening, the volume is limited to 85 dB.

Overall, the ANC function does not do justice to the term "noise suppression" – it is more similar to noise reduction.

You can always work around these limitations by using your own headphone cable. However, I strongly recommend adhering to them. If you are used to being free to rule your volume, there is a good chance you will exceed 85 dB. I don't see myself as someone who routinely turn up the volume, but I was still surprised when I hit the 85dB max – it's quieter than I expected.

I think that's a good thing – it means the PuroPro gives me the opportunity to revert my listening habits to healthier levels. According to Puro Sound Labs, 85 dB is the maximum safe sound level recommended by organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) and allows for up to 8 hours of safe hearing.

Noise cancellation

Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

As I said before, turning on the ANC on the PuroPro while wirelessly listening is a must if you want decent sound. Overall, however, the ANC function does not do justice to the term "noise suppression" – it is more similar to noise reduction.

According to Puro Sound Labs, level 1 of the ANC offers 32dB of deep noise reduction, while level 2 offers more general 15dB of noise reduction.

Level 1 was able to reduce the noise of a nearby bathroom fan, but not by an amount that made it fade into the background. Level 2 sounded identical to me.

And while ANC performance is mediocre, neither Level 1 nor Level 2 introduce unwanted noise – a characteristic of poorly executed ANC – so at least your music quality won't be affected, even if you can't eliminate as much external sounds as possible you would like .

In contrast to some headphones with ANC, the PuroPro does not have an ambient mode for introducing external sounds.

Call quality

Call quality on the PuroPro tended to vary widely and it was difficult to get a consistent result. Walking on a street with the occasional car passing turned out to be easy for the headphones, and my caller sometimes didn't even notice the vehicles passing by. Then, as I sat in a very quiet room in a garden, my caller noticed a decrease in call quality, with the microphones apparently picking up noises that I wasn't aware of.

I wouldn't rate this performance as abnormally poor, but like many wireless headphones, call quality isn't one of PuroPro's strong points.

Our opinion

While not spectacular for noise cancellation, the PuroPro are comfortable wireless headphones with good sound quality and a unique volume limiting feature that is designed to protect your hearing from the long-term damage that can be caused by exposure to loud music.

Is there a better alternative?

The volume limit can be found on several models of children's headphones, including those made by Puro Sound Labs. However, the PuroPro are the only model I've seen that is aimed at adults. As such, they are in a class of their own. But if this feature isn't strictly necessary, check out our list of the best wireless headphones for some great alternatives.

How long will they last?

The PuroPro comes with a one-year warranty from Puro Sound Labs. Their overall build quality is good, as are the materials. You can expect them to last as long as most products in this category if you take care of them.

Should you buy it?

Yes, but only if volume limiting is a must.

Editor's recommendations




09 Aug
Blog

Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Gen) Review: Light on Upgrades

Bell video doorbell 2nd generation 2020 rating 2 and post person

Ring video doorbell 2nd gen.

"The cheapest ring is not a revelation, but its price is."

  • Inexpensive

  • Great app experience

  • Privacy Zone censors certain areas

  • easy installation

  • No replaceable battery

  • Glitchy video and audio

Several video doorbells have gone through since the original was released in 2013. There were Elite, Pro, Ring Video Doorbell 2, Ring Video Doorbell 3, and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. After all that, the company returned to the original with the Ring video doorbell 2nd gen. ($ 100).

How does it differ from all of its cousins? It's $ 100 price tag. It's by far the cheapest bells launched this year – Bells 3 and 3 Plus for Ring Video cost $ 200 and $ 230, respectively. That's a big difference. Is it worthy of the premium brand Ring? I tried the 2nd generation to see how it stood out from the competition and the other ring doorbells.

Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 and Post Personring

installation

Like the other Ring Video Doorbells, Generation 2 is very easy to install. The instructions in the app will guide you through everything step by step. The kit even includes a level, screwdriver, and drill bit in case you need a drill bit. All you have to do is attach the mounting plate to the wall or door frame with a couple of screws, click the doorbell onto the plate, and then secure everything with two more screws. The wireless installation takes about 30 minutes in total. If you're replacing another wired doorbell, the installation won't take much longer because it connects to the cables you already have. However, if you want it to be wired but don't currently have a wired doorbell, you will need to get a professional to do the installation.

Still not an easy way to top up

Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 BackAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The very first thing I noticed is how difficult it is to charge this new model. The other new video doorbells in the Ring range have a detachable faceplate that allows you to remove the battery to recharge. The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd generation) does not have a removable battery. The entire doorbell must be completely removed from the mounting plate as the charging port is on the back of the doorbell. This is the same method as the first generation Ring Video Doorbell. That means you have to loosen two security screws to be able to recharge the doorbell. What a pain! While the doorbell is charging, instead of a doorbell, you have an ugly mounting plate next to your door.

Other than having to unplug the doorbell from the front panel and load it in, the battery isn't that bad. Like the other ring doorbells, it should only need to be charged every few months. Overall, it consumes around 1% of its battery life every day.

Video

The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) has a 1080p HD camera, just like the Ring Doorbell 2, the Ring Doorbell 3 and the Ring Doorbell 3 Plus. It's leaps and bounds better than the 1st generation with a 720p HD camera, however. What's even more surprising is that this 2nd generation model has higher color saturation and better contrast, possibly a little too much contrast, despite the same video specifications as the 3 Plus.

The curvature of the fish shell around the edges of the video seems a little less obvious.

Also, the curvature of the fish shell seems a little less obvious around the edges of the video. As I've said in other doorbell reviews, curvature distortion is an issue that should have been resolved by now. Among other things, the Arlo Video doorbell figured out how to create a doorbell without distorting the edges. Why is Ring sleeping on this upgrade?

Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 VideoAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

The 2nd generation has night vision just like their brand friends. It's similar to other night vision doorbells, but far from amazing. The contrast is good and faces are pretty recognizable. When it is really dark outside, the camera switches to black and white footage. As long as the lights on your porch are on, they will still be recorded in color.

The video is corrupted if the person moves in front of the camera. It corrects itself in a few seconds, but is still annoying. You would think that this is due to the fact that it only has 2.0GHz Wi-Fi connectivity. Not so. The other ringtones also have this problem even when using a 5.0 GHz Wi-Fi connection.

The field of view (how much area the camera can "see") is somewhat narrower than with other doorbell doors. The Ring Video doorbell (2nd generation) has a field of view of 155 degrees, while the 3 Plus is a little wider 160 degrees. Frankly, this didn't seem to make much of a difference when comparing footage side by side. The original model has a 180 degree field of view so I'm a little confused. You would expect Gen 2 to be an upgrade, not a downgrade.

Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 VideoAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

While you can watch live videos for free, you will need a subscription to save your videos. The ring protection plan allows you to review and share videos and photos for up to 60 days. It costs just $ 3 per month per device or $ 10 per month for your entire household. So it's not particularly expensive. It's similar to other plans like Nest Aware for Google's Nest Hello, but other companies like August offer free video storage for their doorbells.

Audio

Ring video doorbell 2nd generation on the doorAlina Bradford / Digital Trends

Two-way audio is a feature found throughout the Ring line of video doorbells. You can talk to anyone at your door without opening it or even being home. The noise-canceling technology really helps to attenuate ambient noise so you can hear the person speaking clearly. The sound is also very loud. The only problem is with the microphone and speaker turning on and off so the sound is a bit choppy on either side of the conversation.

properties

The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) has most of the same functionality as any other Ring Doorbell, mainly because they all use the same app. One thing that isn't there is the pre-roll option, which allows the camera to record a four-second preview video in front of a motion alarm, which is exclusive to the Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus. It's helpful when you need more footage, such as identifying someone on a video, but it's not a huge loss.

Many Ring competitors use artificial intelligence to detect and warn you when a package is on your porch. However, Ring does not offer it for a single model. Maybe I'm just overestimating what a great feature this is. I think it's pretty helpful, but Ring maybe not. It's artificial intelligence that can tell the difference between people, animals, or cars so that motion notifications are more accurate.

Ring Video Doorbell Gen 2 with 3 PlusRing Video Doorbell Gen 2 next to the 3 Plus Alina Bradford / Digital Trends

To save battery power and reduce constant notifications, there are several ways you can customize the camera's motion detection. The motion detection area can be adjusted so that it only detects movement on your porch or as far as the sidewalk. You can also adjust the sensitivity of the motion detection. If you don't want any notifications at all, you can turn off motion alarms for 30 minutes to four hours.

There is a privacy zone option that literally blocks part of the yard in the video.

If you have a part of your yard that you don't want the camera to see, there is a privacy zone that literally blocks that part of the yard in the video via a black box. Think of it as your own censorship bar. This can be helpful if you don't want the camera to record your children's play or pool areas if you are concerned that the footage is being hacked.

I say this a lot in my reviews but I will say it again. I love the Ring app. It's not buggy and easy to use. Even better, you'll get live crime and security alerts reported by your neighbors or local law enforcement, as well as weekly security reports. This is the only doorbell app that has it all. In fact, the app is one of Ring's biggest selling points.

Ring App

Our opinion

It really seems like Ring is just producing video doorbells without much innovation. The Ring Video Doorbell (2nd Generation) is almost indistinguishable from the other new video doorbells except that it does not have a removable battery or 5.0 GHz WiFi connectivity option and has a slightly narrower field of view. The special thing is the price. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 is $ 200, while this 2nd generation model is $ 100. That's a great incentive.

Is there a better alternative?

If you want a ring video doorbell, this is your best bet for the price. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus has an additional pre-roll option and a replaceable battery. However, it's not worth paying an extra $ 135. A better option might be the Ring Video Doorbell 3, which brings the cost down to $ 200 and has the same features and specifications as the 3 Plus except for the pre-roll feature.

For better video quality, I would recommend the Arlo Video Doorbell or another option on our list of the best video doorbells. That said, Ring has the best app out there, and if you have other Ring products I definitely recommend the Gen 2.

How long it will take?

Since this doorbell is a solid piece with no removable faceplate, it may seem more durable than other ring doorbells. It comes with a one year limited warranty. If it is stolen, Ring will replace it for free.

Should you buy it

Yes. It's actually a decent doorbell for the price. You also get the great Ring app.

Editor's recommendations




09 Aug
Blog

Sony X950H 4K HDR TV Review: Seriously Satisfying TV

"Excellent picture quality that is completely satisfactory."

  • Very bright

  • Impressive black levels

  • Movement handling of the highest quality

  • Excellent out-of-box color

  • No support for variable update rates

  • Unstable table stand

You might not need a TV as great as the Sony X950H, but if you see one in person, I'm willing to bet you'll want it.

To be honest, if you're interested in a Sony TV with great picture quality and player-friendly features, the Sony X900H, which sits right below the X950H we reviewed here, is a better choice. However, if you are one of those who only needs the best picture quality from an LED TV, the X950H is for you. If you want the best picture quality Sony is making this year – and indeed one of the best TVs to buy in 2020 – you should consider the Sony A8H OLED TV.

For perspective, the X950H is available in 49, 55, 65, 75, and 85-inch versions for $ 998, 1198, 1698, 2798, and $ 3,998, respectively (non-sale price). The X900H is available in 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch variants priced at $ 998, $ 1298, $ 2198, and $ 2798, respectively. That translates to a $ 400 premium for the 65-inch X950H over the X900H.

For those who don't know, I'm a non-apologetic fan of Sony's best TVs. The reason: image processing. Sony's stated goal of making the Creator's intention come true is certainly a line of marketing, but this is something the company has succeeded in doing through a vision chip that takes an LED TV panel off the shelf every business Can buy and convert into a work of art.

To be clear, I understand that this type of accuracy is not a priority for many buyers, and it is true that there are many cheaper TVs out there that would be a more practical choice for most people. The X950H is certainly a niche TV, and Sony makes no apologies for it. Is it right for you Let's find out.

Out of the box

Prepare for a rather complicated unboxing experience. A lot of plastic adheres to the X950H, presumably to protect its beautiful, shiny design accents. There's also a ton of paper in the form of product manuals and setup guides that I usually want to throw in the trash.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

In that case, you may want to stick with the installation instructions when you stand mount the TV – or just watch my X950H unboxing video – as installing the TVs … is less than intuitive. On the plus side, there are two ways to align your feet. One places feet on the far ends of the TV, the other points inward for a tighter footprint (but it looks goofy).

Once the TV is set up, you'll likely admire its form factor. The X950H doesn't have a particularly thin profile due to its local full array dimming backlight system, but its bezels are almost non-existent. Sure, there's still a black panel in your room, but it's a classy one.

Sure, there's still a black panel in your room, but it's a classy one.

Depending on the lighting in your room, you may find that the TV's screen creates a kind of rainbow effect when it is turned off or when dark content is displayed in a bright room. I believe this is due to a combination of anti-glare treatment and a panel layer that improves the image quality out of the angle. I've seen this on other TVs, and while I didn't find it a problem during most of my testing period, I was a little apprehensive while trying to watch Netflix's notoriously dark Ozark when sunlight fell into the room. I saw less of myself and the room, but I also saw a hazy rainbow.

configuration

Studies have shown that most people do not make any adjustments to picture settings when they bring their TVs home. If you don't, please know that the X950H's out-of-the-box “standard” image preset is one of the least disgusting I've seen from any manufacturer.

If you buy that particular TV, I'd bet you want the best picture quality possible. To do this, I would recommend starting with the "custom" mode, which has the best color accuracy in box. The custom mode may be a little dark. So you can adjust the backlight setting to get the brightness level you want. Otherwise you don't have to touch anything else.

sony x950h 4k hdr tv review sonyx950h 200807 9Dan Baker / Digital Trends

sony x950h 4k hdr tv review sonyx950h 200807 5thDan Baker / Digital Trends

sony x950h 4k hdr tv review sonyx950h 200807 8Dan Baker / Digital Trends

sony x950h 4k hdr tv review sonyx950h 200807 7Dan Baker / Digital Trends

This works for SDR content, but you also want to choose the HDR picture preset that you like best for both HDR10 and Dolby Vision content. I suggest going to the YouTube app, looking for 4K HDR content, and playing one of the clips shown. Go into the picture settings and choose the HDR picture mode that you like the most.

For Dolby Vision adjustments, I recommend playing a Dolby Vision-enabled clip from Netflix. Go back into the picture settings and choose the Dolby Vision preset (light or dark) that you like best.

An additional note for the setup: Sony offers a "light sensor" option, with which not only the brightness of the X950H, but also its gamma curve is automatically adjusted to the lighting situation in your room. I find the feature to work very well, but it will also darken the picture in dark rooms. So if you prefer the most punchy HDR experience you can get, this feature should be turned off.

sound

I don't often talk about the sound quality of a TV as it is almost always poor and in dire need of at least a soundbar for something other than watching the news. With the X950H, however, it's worth discussing.

Two additional speakers offer impressive tricks.

Sony's sound strategy with the X950H was to place small speakers on each side of the TV that sit just below the top to give the sound a sense of directionality and spaciousness. These two additional speakers work with the two downward facing speakers on the bottom of the TV and do some impressive tricks. While I wouldn't call the sound high-fidelity, I'll say that the sound is way better than most TVs and action-packed movies that add some immersion.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

Still, I would suggest developing a better sound system for an experience that sounds as good as it looks.

picture quality

If you've spent a lot of time reading TV reviews lately, you've probably heard a lot about zones and nits. Zones refers to the number of local dimming zones a television's backlight system needs to control black levels and improve contrast. Usually more zones are better.

Nits refers to the measurement of the peak brightness a television is capable of, and as you can probably imagine, is more broadly considered to be better.

Sony breaks both rules. Please allow me to spit out for a moment. Skip the next two paragraphs if you want the end result.

Sony doesn't discuss how many zones its TVs have, nor does it like to talk about peak brightness measurements, claiming in either case that the numbers don't necessarily represent performance. I agree to some extent, but for a grin, I measured the X950H's peak brightness in custom picture mode at around 980 nits (with a 10 nits variance in either direction). For those who didn't know their nits from their gloves, that's a very respectable number.

I didn't count zones because I don't care and it's difficult to work with a Sony TV. Sony has some backlighting magic and is really the only TV manufacturer I know that manages to make the number of zones almost irrelevant. The fact that it is difficult to count the backlight zones in the X950H is evidence of this fact.

The bottom line is that the X950H is more than bright enough to provide a great HDR experience.

The bottom line is that the X950H is more than bright enough to deliver a great HDR experience while maintaining great black levels without suppressing details in low light. The backlight controls are very good, which means that the halos you may see around bright objects on a dark background are minimized quite well. This also results in very black mailbox bars that don't turn gray when the action on the screen turns bright, and doesn't overly brighten the screen when subtitles are used.

Dan Baker / Digital Trends

The out-of-box color is very good in custom mode too and surprisingly good in game mode. Game mode normally throws color accuracy to the wind, but with the X950H I was pleasantly surprised that it assumed a warmer color temperature while the overall brightness was very high. More about playing in a moment.

The handling of movements is excellent with the X950H and offers smooth, stutter-free movie playback as well as stuttering movements of 60 Hz content on Netflix and YouTube. The processing of the X950H also eliminates any moiré effect that can occur with very narrow, uniform patterns such as the window grilles or the narrow patterns of high-rise buildings.

The processing of the X950H is really excellent when content with low bit depth is processed by streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube or Hulu (really all of them). With other televisions, it's not uncommon to see an effect called banding over large areas of color – think of a large picture of the sky with subtle changes in the color of blue – where there are semicircular bands of color. However, the Sony X950H's processor smooths things out quite successfully.

The X950H has an excellent cinematic picture.

My only complaint about image quality is the out of angle viewing. Contrast and color decrease significantly when you are not in the middle of the television. This is typical of LED TVs with VA panels, but Sony's X wide angle technology made me hope for a better one. Ultimately, I'm glad that no elements of the overall image quality were sacrificed for wide-angle viewing. It's best to just accept how VA LED TVs are and enjoy the superior contrast that they offer.

When all the picture quality components are put together, the X950H gives you an excellent film image. It's deep, rich, and punchy when called to sparkle. Simply put, it's one of the best images I've seen on an LED TV, especially at its price point.

Not for gamers

While the X950H's 18.3 millisecond input lag is good for most casual gaming scenarios, this model lacks the variable refresh rate (VRR) support we're seeing across a wide range of TVs this year. Sony told me that this TV primarily appeals to movie fans and decided not to give it some of the features it blessed its X900H with, including VRR (via future updates) and an ATSC 3.0 tuner.

Android TV experience

Until recently, Android TV was a frustratingly sluggish experience. Fortunately, the on-chip system that is currently used in most 2020 TVs handles Android TV with no significant delays or loading times. Fans of the Google experience will appreciate that previously signed-in apps can be easily updated automatically, eliminating the need to re-enter usernames and passwords. By signing in to Google, YouTube users can keep their viewing history and suggested videos consistent across devices.

Our opinion

The Sony X950H offers great picture quality, surprisingly good sound and a solid Smart TV experience. Image processing improves the visibility of all sources thanks to the excellent upscaling and the ability to clean up content with shallow bit depth. While it may not be the best choice for gamers, it is an ideal television for movie fans. While I am very confident in recommending this TV, I have to be close to the Editor's Choice Award as I think it serves a very niche audience.

Is there a better alternative?

I think the Sony X900H is a handy alternative for those who want great Sony picture quality with gamer-friendly features. The Samsung Q80T is a strong competitor in this price range too. We haven't seen what's coming from Vizio this year and will update this section as soon as we've had some hands-on time.

How long it will take

The lack of HDMI 2.1 compatibility, for which Sony needs a lot of heat, makes me take a break in terms of future security. However, given Sony's solid track record of build quality and the great picture quality of the X950H, I am confident that this TV will be relevant for many years to come.

warranty

Sony provides a one-year parts and labor warranty when purchased from an authorized dealer.

Should you buy it

Hardcore cinephiles will love the X950H, but most people in the market will likely be looking for better overall value or a TV with more updated features. I say if you are among those who want the best picture they can get from an LED TV right now, the X950H is a great choice. Those who are less enthusiastic may want to look elsewhere.

Editor's recommendations




08 Aug
Blog

2021 Polestar 2 ElectricVehicle First Drive Review

2021 Polestar 2

2021 Polestar 2 first ride review: More than a Swedish Tesla

"Polestars first electric car feels like the tenth."

  • Well designed interior

  • Android operating system

  • Well-coordinated brakes

  • Good balance between driving behavior and handling

  • A car that can replace an SUV

  • Second place area

  • Lifeless steering

When you want to bring a new type of car to market, it helps to bring a new brand to market with it. At least that's what Volvo thinks.

The Swedish automaker is betting on electric cars and hybrids, but doesn't think its own brand name would convey that change. So in 2015 Volvo recycled the name of a tuning company to create Polestar as a showcase for green technology. The brand was introduced with the Polestar 1 plug-in hybrid coupe, following the Polestar 2 electric car. As a high-end electric vehicle (EV), the Polestar 2 appears to be a Tesla Model 3 rival, but Polestar claims it does is not the case.

"We don't want to chase Tesla," said Polestar USA. CEO Gregor Hembrough said Digital Trends. "We are building an electric vehicle that is an alternative on the market."

Polestar can struggle to convince customers. In size and purpose, the Polestar 2 is very similar to the Model 3. Polestar will initially only sell its car in a fully loaded four-wheel drive launch edition with a twin engine and a base price of 61,200 USD – about 5,000 USD more than the top model 3 Performance. However, unlike new Tesla purchases, Polestar vehicles will continue to receive the full $ 7,500 EV tax credit (as well as some state and local incentives). According to Polestar, cheaper variants are also on the way.

2021 Polestar 2

Design and interior

The Polestar 2 inherits design features from the parent Volvo and runs on the CMA (Compact Modular Architecture) platform used by the Volvo XC40. The exterior is a copy of the 2016 Volvo Concept 40.2 concept car. This means that the Polestar 2 looks like a sedan, but has a tailgate instead of a trunk. It also has an SUV-like ride height, though it doesn't feel like that on the inside.

Behind the wheel, the Polestar 2 feels more like a car than an SUV, largely due to the way Polestar designed its battery. While many electric cars have a long, flat battery under the floor, Polestar chose to stack the individual modules, placing some under the floor, others under the back seat, and even more modules along the centerline of the car. As a result, the Polestar 2 has a lower floor than the Model 3, so you feel more like sitting in the car than on it. The car also has a distinctive center tunnel that divides the cabin, much like the transmission tunnels in gasoline cars.

Like Tesla, Polestar went for a minimalist interior design, but with some more traditional elements. Instead of just throwing a touchscreen in the center of the dash and labeling it a tag, Polestar kept the instrument cluster and gear stick, making the interior more conventional.

The Polestar 2 comes standard with a vegan interior, including carpets made from recycled plastic, recycled wood paneling, and upholstery made from a fabric called WeaveTex. Nappa leather trim is optional, but the vegan version has been well executed and fits better with this electric car's sustainability mission. It's just a shame Polestar threw cheap looking black glossy plastic on surfaces that are likely to get touched frequently – resulting in stains and scratches.

Like Tesla, Polestar went for a minimalist interior design, but with some more traditional elements.

The Polestar 2 is roughly 5 inches wider and 2 inches taller than a Model 3, but the Tesla is 3.5 inches longer. The Model 3 also has a longer wheelbase than the Polestar 2, which translates into more legroom. However, the Polestar's higher roof creates more headroom and its hatchback configuration gives it an advantage in cargo space. With the rear seats, the Polestar 2 has a manufacturer-estimated cargo space of 15.5 cubic feet compared to 15.0 cubic feet for the Model 3. With the rear seats folded, the Polestar 2 can hold 38.7 cubic feet of material.

2021 Polestar 2

Technology, infotainment and driver assistance

The Polestar 2 is the first production car to receive the Android Automotive OS from Google, with which Google apps are integrated into the infotainment system. Instead of general voice control and navigation, you get the Google Assistant and Google Maps. The infotainment system can also be synchronized with your personal Google account for additional adjustment.

The Polestar 2 is equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard as well as a basic Bluetooth connection. Non-Android users can still get the same functionality as with projection apps on other infotainment systems, including the ability to make calls and send text messages. However, Polestar only expects connectivity for select Apple apps, and CarPlay is not available at launch. Polestar plans to add it via a wireless update in 2021.

If your personal preferences are centered around Android, this is a great setup. The graphics displayed on the 11.1 ”central touchscreen and 12.3” digital instrument cluster were especially excellent for maps. The touch screen was also very responsive. However, if Google Apps isn't your favorite, this system has fewer advantages.

If your personal preferences are centered around Android, this is a great setup.

Polestar Parents Volvo is synonymous with safety, so it is not surprising that the Polestar 2 receives a lot of driver aids. Standard functions include blind spot monitoring, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, traffic sign recognition, autonomous emergency braking and Volvo's Pilot Assist, which combines adaptive cruise control with limited steering inputs for lane centering. Polestar said its version of Pilot Assist will use cloud connectivity to detect road obstacles in real time and can be improved with wireless updates. However, Pilot Assist cannot perform automated lane changes like the Tesla Autopilot.

The Polestar 2 also receives a digital key that drivers can use to unlock and drive the car with smartphones and give other users access. Tesla is the only other automaker to date to offer this functionality to an electric car, although Hyundai and Lincoln have similar features for gasoline vehicles. The digital key is not available at startup. It will be added later via a wireless update.

2021 Polestar 2

Experience at the wheel

At the start, the Polestar 2 will be sold exclusively with a twin-engine all-wheel drive. The combined output of the two engines is 408 horsepower and 487 pound-feet of torque, which takes the car from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds, according to Polestar. That's the same as a Tesla Model 3 Long Range, but according to Tesla, the Model 3 Performance can go from zero to 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds.

Our test car also had the optional Performance Pack, which includes 20-inch forged alloy wheels, Brembo brakes (with brake calipers specially designed for Polestar to reduce drag) and adjustable Öhlins dampers. These improvements made a huge difference on the road and were the perfect complement to the punchy acceleration of the electric powertrain.

The adjustable dampers kept the driver's spine intact as they traversed broken New York sidewalks.

Even with a fairly fixed setting (one of 22 settings that must be changed manually), the adjustable dampers kept the driver's spine intact as they traversed broken New York sidewalks. Once clear of city traffic, they gave the Polestar 2 a tight, confidence-building feel when cornering. Regenerative braking allows you to ride with one pedal in the most aggressive setting, but the left pedal still responds in a predictably linear manner in case you need it. The weak point was the steering, which didn't feel as selected as the other components. The Polestar 2 may be a very nimble car, but it's impossible to tell by the vague response of the wheel.

The US spec Polestar 2 can also tow up to 2,000 pounds. That's less than the Polestar previously listed on the European market at £ 3,300, but still better than the Model 3. The Tesla has no official towing capacity in the US, although it can tow up to £ 2,000 in Europe.

2021 Polestar 2

Range, charging and security

The Polestar 2 gets a 78 kilowatt hour battery, but only 75 kWh can be used. Official range figures are not yet available, but Polestar expects to exceed 200 miles based on tests by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). In a third-party test commissioned by Polestar, the car achieved a range of 205 miles on a closed circuit in hot weather. This means the EPA-rated range will likely be higher, but likely not enough to hit the 322-mile maximum of the Tesla Model 3 Long Range.

Charging takes 11 hours on an 11-kilowatt charging station for the house wall box or, if you're really desperate, 22 hours on a normal 120-volt household socket. DC fast charging with up to 150 kilowatts can deliver an 80% charge in 40 minutes.

Safety ratings from the Road Safety Insurance Institute (IIHS) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are not yet available, but Polestar expects its first EV to perform well in crash tests. The car has special crash structures that protect the battery in crash mode and should take into account the lack of a motor in the occupant crash protection.

Polestar offers a four year warranty of 50,000 miles for vehicles and an eight year warranty of 100,000 miles for batteries. Tesla offers the same vehicle warranty and battery warranty for lower versions of the Model 3. The long range and performance models of the Model 3 have an eight-year warranty of 120,000 miles on batteries.

How DT would configure this car

Configuring a Polestar 2 is easy as the only options are the Performance Pack ($ 5,000), nappa leather pads ($ 4,000), 20-inch wheels ($ 1,200), and custom paintwork ($ 1,200). The Performance Pack's Brembo brakes and Öhlins dampers are worth the extra money, but the leather upholstery seems unnecessary. The standard interior is pretty nice and gives the car even more green credibility.

2021 Polestar 2

Our opinion

On closer inspection, the Polestar 2 really isn't like the Tesla Model 3. It can't compete with the Tesla in range or performance, and despite its reputation as a safety innovation, the Polestar parent Volvo still has no answer to the Tesla autopilot. The technical data doesn't tell the full story, however.

The Model 3 urges buyers to throw away everything they know about driving. It's a futuristic car that you can never forget that fact. Rather than anticipating the driver's needs, the Model 3 expects the driver to follow suit. The Polestar 2 does things differently.

Polestars first electric car feels like the tenth. From the interior to the chassis tuning, every detail feels well thought out and is based on the experience of an established automaker rather than a newbie. Market demand for something new may have led to the creation of Polestar, but it's the Volvo experience that makes this car so good.

The Polestar 2 takes all that is good about electric cars and presents it in a familiar package. It's an approach that could likely win many converts when electric cars go from curiosity to commodity. It's a shame Polestar doesn't plan on tracking Tesla's sales volume, at least not immediately. Currently, the brand is aiming for an annual number of tens of thousands instead of the hundreds of thousands of cars that Tesla currently builds annually, US CEO Gregor Hembrough told Digital Trends.

Should you get one

Yes. Between the Polestar 1 and the Polestar 2, the new Volvo brand got off to a good start.

Editor's recommendations




08 Aug
Blog

Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool Review: Convergence at Its Finest

Dyson Pure Humidify Cool hero shot

Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool Review: Convergence at its best

“You could buy a fan, an air purifier, and a humidifier separately. But why do that when that does it all? "

  • Multifunctional

  • Actively monitors air quality

  • Easy to fill water tank

  • Remote access

Dyson is known for pushing the limits with its devices. And if the viral seeds of a global pandemic were smeared on your phone or lurked in the air you breathe, people care more than anyone about cleanliness and air quality. While Dyson is no stranger to fans, humidifiers and air purifiers, the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool is the first to combine all three devices in one device. It's an ambitious endeavor that promises to keep the air in your home clean and comfortable. But is it worth the $ 800 price tag?

A strong design

Dyson has a meticulous eye for design and this product is no exception. The combination of the functions of a fan, air purifier, and humidifier is daunting on paper. No wonder the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool has an intimidating stature. Its sheer weight makes Dyson's earlier fan and humidifier combo aging AM10 humidifierlook picturesque in comparison. It also has the weight to fit its bulk, which can complicate things if you intend to lug it around the house.

Dyson Pure Humidify Cool tip angle

Despite the chunkier appearance, the design is everything you'd expect from Dyson, with the familiar bladeless design, perforated grilles, and subtle displays. It's thoughtful too. For example, I am pleased that it is easier and more convenient to add water to the container: just press a button to pull out the water container, then remove the lid. Adding water to the chunky Dyson AM10 resulted in frequent water pollution.

Focus on cleanliness and health

Outwardly, it is almost impossible to implement all the complex processes in the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool. First, Dyson's Ultraviolet Cleanse technology eliminates 99.9% of the bacteria in the water in the reservoir. In addition, the sucked in air undergoes a filtration process consisting of HEPA and activated carbon filters to capture 99.97% of the particles with a size of only 0.3 micrometers. For allergy sufferers, it is effective in filtering pollen and odors.

Dyson Pure Humidify Cool Filter

Once the air is filtered and the water bathed under UV light, cool and moist air is forced out by the blade-less fan. Unlike its other fans, which rotate around their base, the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool swings air by rotating the vents in the bladeless fan – so the whole thing remains stationary. In my opinion, it's a better design as a rotating base is more prone to damage if it falls over.

The fog and breeze certainly help cool rooms down, but it can be a bit noisy when working above an airflow speed of five. Nevertheless, it cools rooms down quickly – and at the same time cleanses the air. How do you know it actually works? Just take a look at the app.

Sensors that deliver informed data

You can feel a breeze and moisture, but Dyson wants you to know that the air purifier is doing its job too. This is where the air quality sensors come into play. They affect indoor air quality by monitoring particulates, VOC (volatile organic compounds), nitrogen dioxide, temperature and humidity every 15 minutes.

The Dyson Link app, which is available for Android and iOS, displays all of the information collected by the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool and gives you specific information on indoor air quality. And you know what? It's pretty much spot on, especially since VOC levels increase after you've cooked large meals. Let the air purifier run and quickly clean the air back to normal levels.

Wi-Fi connectivity means that not only can you view the above measurement data via the app, but you can also control the device remotely. If you prefer voice commands, it's compatible with Alexa and Siri. If you don't like either, use the included tiny remote control, which can be conveniently placed over the device for quick access. A small LCD display at the base of the Dyson Pure Humidify + Cool shows, in addition to other measured values, the air quality in real time.

Our opinion

At $ 800, the Pure Humidify + Cool is expensive, even by Dyson's notoriously expensive standards. However, it replaces three different devices and frankly has no rivals. Even most special air purifiers do not monitor the air quality, let alone report it via a nifty app and respond to Alexa commands.

It replaces three different devices and frankly has no rivals.

How long it will take?

Proper maintenance and cleaning are required to get the most of it, but it is solidly built. In addition, Dyson offers a two-year warranty that covers parts and labor against defects.

Is there a better alternative?

Not really, especially when it comes to multifunctional devices that have built-in sensors for indoor air quality. You may also find better dedicated products in Dyson's own portfolio. However, when you add up the cost of each individual thing, you will appreciate the value Pure Humidify + Cool offers. For example, the AirThings Wave Mini is an indoor air quality sensor for $ 80. When you add the cost of an air purifier, fan, and humidifier, you approach the cost of the Dyson with more clutter and less functionality.

Should you buy it

Yes. Undoubtedly there is nothing out there that matches its scope. You will breathe easier at home too!

Editor's recommendations




07 Aug
Blog

Polk Audio Signa S3 Review: Quality Bar, Steep Competition

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbar

"Polk's high-quality Signa S3 soundbar is a lot right, but it lacks key features for the price."

  • Smooth design

  • High quality stereo sound

  • Wi-Fi connectivity

  • Limited low end

  • Missing surround sound

The soundbar marketplace is deceptive. It doesn't matter how good your features are or how great your sound is. If there's something better for the same price, you'll be the odd bar.

That's the tough lesson Polk Audio's new $ 250 Signa S3 sound bar system is learning. It's a solid option on its own as it's a Wi-Fi enabled soundbar with effective two-channel sound, but Polk just forgot about the budget monster waiting in the opposite corner of the ring. If you don't know who we are talking about, you are close to it.

design

At various times in the past, both myself and my staff at Digital Trends have praised the soundbars that can be heard but not seen. That said, the bars that feature a design that doesn't protrude and blend in so well with the room that you won't know it's there if it's not emitting sound to you – the Bose Soundbar 700 is here one good example of success.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

Soundbars from Vizio, LG, Samsung and the like have done this to one degree or another in the past. And I'd argue that the Polk Signa S3 probably fits that category too, and I like the aesthetics of this particular soundbar more than, say, the Vizio counterpart. One notable point is that the color and shape of this bar appear less harsh in comparison. The Vizio V-series is a black, brick-shaped bar with a slightly less black grille. The polk looks softer and tastier with a lighter, grayer grille that plays off the otherwise black bar well. This color is paired with a more rounded shape without all of the sharp edges, which I liked too.

The Signa S3 is a little over two inches tall and around 35 inches wide, which fits closely with competitors like the Vizio V series. There are two pairs of tweeters and mid-range speakers in the 2.1 channel strip. For comparison purposes, the Vizio has a dedicated driver for the center channel of its 5.1 configuration. One driver doesn't seem like much of a difference, but as we'll see in a moment, that particular driver is a crucial one.

The wireless subwoofer for the Signa S3 is front-ported and follows the footprint of soundbar woofers such as the LG SN7Y. They're so similar in size, in fact, that it took my significant other a week to release the submarine in the corner of the room. It was different from the week before. That gave me my first concerns, as the subwoofer for the SN7Y did not impress me with its performance. More on that in a moment.

The remote control for the Signa S3 feels a bit cheap, but is conveniently located on the smaller side and is easy to hold. The Signa S3 supports Polk's AnyRemote technology, which means it should automatically respond to IR signals from most TVs it is connected to. According to Polk's website, the Signa S3 works seamlessly with Samsung, LG, Vizio, TCL, and Sony TV remote controls for volume control, as well as most CEC-enabled TVs.

configuration

The Signa S3 has a book report size quick start guide that includes it. I strongly recommend that you do your homework. Take it from someone who has been too persistent to read manuals for years: if you put pride aside and let the included documentation guide you through setting up the soundbar, things just get infinitely easier.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

It starts like any typical soundbar: plug your soundbar into your TV, plug both the bar and subwoofer into power, plug the included AAA battery into your remote, and turn everything on. The subwoofer should automatically connect to the bar and the entire system should be ready for playback in a matter of moments.

Unlike some competitive bars where the input that the soundbar is plugged into is literally written for you, the Signa S3 tells you this via a horizontal row of LED lights.

It all went smoothly for me, but the next few steps gave me a break. Unlike some competitive bars where the input that the soundbar is plugged into is literally written for you – the LG SN7Y mentioned above comes to mind – the Signa S3 tells you this via a horizontal row of LED lights. Some make sense (a single blue light indicates the bar is in bluetooth mode), but beyond that it gets confusing. Fortunately, it is broken down for you in the quick start guide and acts as a translator for the foreign language of lights the S3 is talking to you.

The guide also directs you to the Google Home app, which you can use to connect the Signa S3 to Wi-Fi. This is a very simple process. It's a smooth transition from the tutorial to the Home app as the app walks you step-by-step through adding your network and tweaking your bar. I didn't have the resources to try at the time, but I'm confident that a far less tech-savvy person can get this system fully up and running in 15 minutes. In my opinion, that's the hallmark of a good, easy-to-use soundbar.

links

Even by soundbar standards, the Signa S3 keeps things limited when it comes to connections. There is a single HDMI ARC port, a digital optical port, and an AUX input. For context, the Vizio V-Series adds a 3.5mm stereo audio input as well as a USB port to the mix. I recorded before saying that most soundbars need additional connections, and I stand by that. But that's a soundbar on a budget of $ 250, after all. More HDMI ports would have been great, but at the price, it's not a deal-breaker.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

This is where the Signa S3 gets a great value at least in terms of connections in my opinion. Unlike much more expensive bars like the LG SN7Y and Sony HT-G700, this Polk Bar has built-in Wi-Fi. This is huge for my money as it opens up a world of possibilities. For this reason, Google Chromecast is built into the bar, with options for streaming Google Play Music, Spotify, and many other services right into the bar. Plus, you can control your music with a device equipped with the Google Assistant, and group your soundbar with other Chromecast-enabled speakers to create whole-house sound. In addition, your soundbar may receive automatic software updates to keep the product better over time.

This Polk Bar has built-in WiFi. This is huge for my money as it opens up a world of possibilities.

The Signa S3 also has a Bluetooth connection. But with the option to stream Wi-Fi and enjoy sound with no dropouts or disconnections, I don't know why you would ever choose the former over the latter. By equipping their bar with Wi-Fi, Polk has not only done what all soundbars – including the competing Vizio V series – should do, but also what we believe there should be no excuse not to do so in 2020 .

Sound quality

This is the make-or-break category for the Signa S3. For some, the stereo sound produced is comfortable enough and well worth the price of admission. But for others hoping for an even more immersive experience with their soundbar, they will likely want to look elsewhere.

Polk Audio Signa S3 soundbarNick Woodard / Digital Trends

The thing is, this is really not a controversial – or even controversial – statement. Finally, the Signa S3 is a 2.1-channel soundbar. It will work better with audio that is meant to be heard in stereo (i.e. music) and worse with content that benefits from a surround sound setup (most TV shows and movies). Polk gets a little sneaky when he says it supports the Dolby Digital 5.1 sound format, which it technically does. It simply cannot be reproduced as it is again only a two-channel bar. Not all support is the same here, so the language is irritatingly misleading.

For the music, I found this bar to be excellent. Polk is a company that has made a name for itself in the audio space, unlike the bigger brands like Vizio, Samsung and LG. The company has made music-friendly speakers in the past so it came as no surprise to me that the bar can wonderfully clearly reproduce tracks like Mumford & Sons' Lover of the Light. As for the bass, the S3's compact woofer has handled short, punchy deep tones effectively. However, when the sub was asked to go deeper, or when the bass was increased using the beam's remote control, it succumbed to the limitations of its size and unfortunately sounded like it was stretching for a frequency it just couldn't quite reach . If you're not asking too much, you'll be happy with this subwoofer – you just have to know what it can and can't do.

If you try to squeeze five (or more) channels into two the result just won't turn out what it's supposed to.

I want to be as clear as possible with this soundbar when it comes to watching movies or TV shows: objectively speaking, this is an instant and significant improvement over standard TV speakers and brings you the way this content is meant to be heard , far closer. The clarity I mentioned when discussing music is still there, and the sub adds a modest rumble to your listening experience.

But for the third time, and probably not the last, it's a numbers game. If you try to squeeze five (or more) channels into two the result just won't turn out what it's supposed to. In that regard, I'll be taking advantage of the Vizio V-series 5.1 setup or the impact Dolby Atmos had on the LG SN7Y's 3.1.2 configuration, albeit at a significantly higher price. Maybe I'm just too used to having noises above or behind me, but my selection of tests (Mad Max: Fury Road, John Wick, A Quiet Place) just weren't the same audio glasses I was supposed to be getting be on the Signa S3.

The Signa S3 has three sound modes that you can use to customize your audio: The Movie mode "improves audio playback in TVs and movies," Polk said. Night mode attenuates bass and dynamic sounds to keep the neighbors at bay. and music mode is good for music. These all work in that they are the best preset for any situation, but don't expect them to be breakthrough modes that will change the way you play audio dramatically. The same goes for Polk's speech adaptation feature, which allows you to switch between three different levels of speech enhancement. It's helpful, but not as helpful as having a dedicated center channel.

Our opinion

The Polk Signa S3 is a 2.1 channel soundbar that does exactly what it was designed to do. That said, the bar picks up the provided audio and creates a fun listening experience that is exponentially better than anything standard TV speakers could produce. The problem is that its value is being damaged by competitors bringing more to the table without much of a drag on cost. A year ago, having surround sound at that price might not have been that important. But the bar (no pun intended) has been raised and it overshadows an otherwise good system.

Is there a better alternative?

The $ 250 Vizio V series gives you a 5.1 experience for the same price, which makes it a better option for a movie night, though I would still prefer the Signa S3's sound for stereo music. The $ 350 Yamaha YAS-209 is a more advanced alternative to the Polk. Amazon Alexa is integrated into the bar and compatible with DTS: Virtual X. However, like the Signa S3, it does not have true surround sound.

How long it will take?

Polk has a two year warranty on this pole which is also a well made product. With the bonus of software updates, this bar should be able to be a fixture under your television.

Should you buy it

I think it depends on your use case. The Polk Audio Signa S3 has a lot going for it, including built-in WiFi and exceptional stereo sound. If your plan is to not only use a soundbar for movies but also get a healthy dose of music on the go, I would have no hesitation in suggesting the Signa S3. But I think most people value surround sound over streaming music, which makes the Vizio V series a better option for the average consumer. In other words, Vizio, the king of values, wins through a difficult decision.

Editor's recommendations




06 Aug
Blog

Sony WH-1000XM4 Review: The Best Headphones Get Even Better

“Same price, even better functions. With the WH-1000XM4 from Sony it looks perfect. "

  • Very convenient

  • Outstanding sound quality

  • Excellent noise cancellation

  • Very good call quality

  • Very good battery life

  • Bluetooth pairing of multiple devices

  • Handy, customizable functions

When Sony launched its latest flagship wireless noise canceling headphones in 2018, which got the uncomfortable name WH-1000XM3 in true Sony fashion, they were at the top of our list of the best headphones. One of our reviewers even called it his gadget of the decade.

If you are curious as to why, I recommend that you read our in-depth review before reading this review as I will be referring to it a lot.

Convenience, sound quality, noise cancellation, battery life … the $ 350 XM3 simply destroyed the competition. Almost two years later, we have yet to find another wireless headphone that we prefer overall.

But resting on your laurels is a recipe for disaster, especially in the ultra-competitive personal audio space. That's why Sony is back with the successor to the XM3, the WH-1000XM4 for $ 350 (you guessed it).

How can you improve near perfection without increasing the price? Let's go into that.

What's in the box?

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

Your first clue that Sony has decided not to gamble big with its time-tested formula comes when you open the box. Inside you will find exactly the same hard-shell carrying bag as the WH-1000XM3 – right down to the elastic mesh pocket on the back and the copper-colored zipper.

Open the case and the topic continues. The XM4 are arranged in exactly the same semi-folded layout and are accompanied by the same three accessories: a very short USB-C charging cable, an analog cable for headphone connections and an airplane travel adapter.

I wish the USB-C cable was longer, but that's exactly what Amazon is for.

design

Sony WH-1000XM4 "class =" m-Karussell - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn2.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/sony-wh-1000xm4-00005-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Riley Young / Digital Trends

Sony WH-1000XM4 "class =" m-Karussell - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn3.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/sony-wh-1000xm4-00001-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Riley Young / Digital Trends

Sony WH-1000XM4 "class =" m-Karussell - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn4.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/sony-wh-1000xm4-00004-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Riley Young / Digital Trends

Sony WH-1000XM4 "class =" m-Karussell - picture dt-lazy-no "src =" https://icdn5.digitaltrends.com/image/digitaltrends/sony-wh-1000xm4-00002-640x640.jpg "srcset = "https://www.digitaltrends.com/data:image/gif;base64,https://www.digitaltrends.com/R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP//yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7Riley Young / Digital Trends

If you were a fan of the XM3's understated yet sleek design, you'll be glad to know that the WH-1000XM4 are so similar that it's impossible to tell them apart at a glance.

The XM4 offers the same level of comfort and stability as the XM3 while putting a little less pressure on your head.

Not that Sony hasn't made a few changes here and there, but they're all small improvements. After all "if it is not broken …"

These improvements aim to further improve the comfort of an already exceptionally comfortable shape. The bow of the headband has been further refined and the top pillow is a little thinner. And although it's not recognizable without a ruler and magnifying glass, Sony claims that the ear pads now have a 10% larger contact area with the sides of your head.

The proof is in the carry. The XM4 offers the same level of comfort and stability as the XM3 while putting a little less pressure on your head. They're just more convenient.

They feel lighter somehow, although I know there is no way I can feel that the XM4 weighs a tiny gram less than the XM3.

There are also tiny cosmetic changes.

The finish Sony has chosen for the XM4 is a bit more matte and borders on rubber. The result is a reduction in gloss, so fingerprints are slightly more visible on the black version. This is less of a concern with the Tan model.

The NFC logo on the left ear cup is now embossed instead of printed, and the model number on the headband caps is more reserved.

Battery life

The XM4's battery life and charging remain unchanged – a surprise given the huge performance improvements Sony has made with its true wireless WF-SP800N over a similar period of time.

You get 30 hours of life with noise canceling enabled and 38 hours with the device off, which is still very good for wireless headphones – significantly better than the XM4's main competitor, the Bose Noise Canceling Headphones 700, which only die 20 hours after that.

Ten minutes of plug time gives you an additional five hours.

What remains is the inability to use the XM4's powered features like ANC or wireless audio while charging – although the analog cable will also work for unpowered audio.

Smarter controls

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

Music and calls are controlled on the WH-1000XM4 using the touch-sensitive pad on the right ear cup with a series of swiping and finger tips – just like the XM3. But now the headphones are smarter. Instead of removing them from your head or pausing the music and switching to ambient mode to have a conversation, you can just start speaking.

The biggest improvement that Sony has added for everyday comfort is a wear sensor.

Sony calls it Speak-to-Chat, and the XM4's built-in sensors automatically detect that you're trying to speak to someone and respond by simultaneously inserting sound and pausing your media.

You can double tap the right ear cup to resume playback immediately, or you can just wait. 30 seconds after the headphones determine that you are done with the Yakken, the tunes will crank again.

It's extremely effective, and I've found that if Sensitivity was turned on, even Sneezing would trigger the feature. Fortunately, the headphone app offers a variety of customizations, including a high / low sensitivity switch and a focus-to-speech mode, designed to allow only nearby voices to be admitted without background noise in the Surrounding area.

But perhaps the biggest improvement Sony has added for everyday comfort is a wear sensor located in the left ear cup. Now when you remove the XM4 from your head, your tunes can automatically pause. This has become a standard feature on high-end wireless headphones and true wireless earbuds, and it's nice to see Sony hasn't ignored it.

I noticed some cases where my music started all by itself while the headphones were wrapped around my neck, but for the most part, the function works well and responds very quickly when you put the XM4 on or off.

Bluetooth multipoint

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

When we tested the WH-1000XM3, the only real criticism we could make of these headphones was the lack of Bluetooth multipoint pairing. In other words, you can only pair them with one device at a time.

For those of us who live their lives on a variety of machines, the XM4 is worth the upgrade just because of the Bluetooth multipoint.

The XM4 resolves this criticism and you can now set it up so that it can be paired with your phone and laptop at the same time or your phone and a Bluetooth device such as a television.

You activate the function via the Sony Headphones app (deactivated by default).

Once you've paired the XM4 with a range of Bluetooth sources, simply pause the sound on one device and then start playing on the other device. In my tests between an iPhone 11 and an iMac, the transition was almost instantaneous. If I heard the Mac when a call came in on the iPhone, I could answer the call and then return to the Mac without ever touching the phone or desktop.

Even better, the headphones app remembers all previously paired devices, so you can quickly swap the two devices you want to use at the same time through a single interface.

For those of us who live our lives on a wide variety of machines, with this feature the XM4 is well worth the upgrade.

Sound quality

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

Given the good sound quality of the WH-1000XM3, it is unlikely to be realistic to expect a significant increase in audio quality from the XM4, which does not mean that Sony will stop in this department.

The XM4 features the latest and greatest in Sony's digital music upscaling technology, DSEE Extreme. The goal of DSEE technology is to partially compensate for the loss of quality that occurs when music is heavily compressed using lossy codecs like MP3 or AAC.

Being able to extract musicality from the low end of a song is, in my opinion, the XM4's greatest strength.

Sony claims that DSEE Extreme – which uses artificial intelligence on board – is trained to analyze music in real time through a partnership with the company's SonyMusic department. In practice it is said to be better to restore certain frequencies like the tsss-tsss-tsss of high-hat cymbals than its predecessor. You can tell with scientific instruments, but to my ears it made no significant difference.

But in the end it doesn't matter. The XM4 has such a good balance between the various frequencies – accompanied by a wonderfully wide and well-defined soundstage – that it is excellent to have a rich and satisfying listening experience no matter which genre you choose.

The XM4 continues the XM3's tradition of presenting bass as more than just a low-end boom. On tracks like Hans Zimmer Time, which use complex low-frequency instruments, the XM4 creates a deep floor that spans the boundary between hearing and feeling. But it can also cover this floor with many layers of recognizable bass notes that provide both warmth and precision.

Mids and highs aren't any less fun, but the ability to bring musicality out of the low end of a song is the XM4's greatest strength in my opinion.

There is one limitation to the sound quality of the XM4, but it mainly affects Android users: Sony has stopped supporting the aptX and aptX HD Bluetooth codecs that were included in the XM3 and now only supports SBC, AAC and the own Sony LDAC.

Is it important? I do not believe that. As of Android 8.0 Oreo, LDAC is a codec that phone manufacturers are free to incorporate, and the vast majority have chosen to do so. LDAC is also one of only two Bluetooth codecs that have been certified as Hi-Res compatible – even aptX HD cannot make this claim.

I'm sorry to support aptX, but it's definitely not a deal breaker.

Noise cancellation

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

The best ANC (Active Noise Canceling) technology from Sony can be seen again in the WH-1000XM4. This time around, the company claims to have improved both the software algorithms and hardware to achieve even better performance than the XM3.

Some low-frequency noise, such as an aircraft engine drone, fan, and some traffic noise, can be almost completely canceled out by ANC, while medium- to high-frequency noise, such as human conversation, is reduced. According to Sony, the XM4 does a better job with this latter group of sounds. In theory, you should be less aware of your surroundings when you are sitting in your local cafe or in a busy office.

I didn't know of any significant difference in my time with the XM4, but our pandemic-based lifestyle didn't offer many options for busy environments. DT Senior Editor Caleb Denison tried it too and saw only minor improvements. If you're wondering if they're better than Bose's superb Noise Canceling Headphones 700, it's really too close to call.

Another small improvement: you can now enable Sony's personalized ANC calibration on the headphones themselves by long-pressing the Custom button instead of relying on the headphones app.

Call quality

Sony WH-1000XM4Riley Young / Digital Trends

Overall call quality is another strength for Sony products, and the WH-1000XM4 is no exception. The calls were consistently very good under different conditions, even when I passed an extremely loud construction site.

I was apparently more aware of the noise than my caller, which seems to prove that Sony's claim that the XM4's improved call quality due to improved noise reduction is more than just marketing.

Our opinion

For the same price as its previous flagship, Sony has made small but very useful improvements to the WH-1000XM4 that are enough to crown it as the new king of personal audio.

Is there a better alternative?

No That is what happens when you are the best. However, if you're looking to save some cash, you can bet that the older WH-1000XM3 will have some special offers until Sony cleans up the remaining inventory. If you are content to do without a wear sensor and Bluetooth multipoint and can get the XM3 for $ 50 to $ 100 below the regular price, I think you should do so.

How long will they last?

The WH-1000XM4 comes with a one-year warranty from Sony. The build quality is excellent, and Sony headphones have a reputation for reliability. Battery life will decrease over time, but you can expect to use it for many years before it becomes a serious problem. You can assume that the ear pads will need to be replaced occasionally throughout the life of the headphones. These can easily be bought online.

Should you buy them

Absolutely. While not exactly affordable, the WH-1000XM4 is at the top of the wireless headphone market and worth every penny.

Editor's recommendations




05 Aug
Blog

Samsung Galaxy A71 5G Review: Premium Midrange At A Price

Samsung Galaxy A71 5g review 1

"Despite the growing value of cheaper devices, the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is a solid mid-range phone."

  • Modern design

  • Good value for the price

  • Nice display

  • Long-lasting battery life

  • Camera is just fine

  • No wireless charging

Cheap phones have a moment right now. While there were always good options in the under $ 400 range, 2020 seems to be the year of the cheap phone, thanks in part to the ultra-powerful iPhone SE and the new Google Pixel 4a. But older cellphone series like the Samsung Galaxy A series have been around for years and they have a huge fan base. Thanks to Samsung’s strong brand and carrier relationships, the A-series, which includes the new $ 600 Galaxy A71 5G, is one of the best-selling phone lines ever.

My test device is the 5G model from the US carrier, which offers 5G support and a Qualcomm processor (not to be confused with the various international models).

As the most expensive A-series device, the Galaxy A71 5G faces more intense competition – which means that it has to offer some serious advantages in order to be worth buying. Does it really compete? I tested the Samsung Galaxy A71 5G to find out.

design

The Galaxy A-series usually has a solid design, and although the build quality is sometimes not quite at the level of more expensive phones, the look is still there. That remains true here. The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G offers a beautiful and large edge-to-edge display with a hole cut out for the front-facing camera and a rectangular camera projection on the back, which is reminiscent of the Galaxy S20.

The bezels around the display are razor-thin and the phone therefore looks very modern. The lower bezel is slightly larger than the others, but barely noticeable and makes no real difference in everyday use. Interestingly, the hole cutout at the top of the display is smaller than that of the Galaxy A51, although it appears to offer the same camera hardware.

Thanks to the plastic back, the phones feel very light.

On the edges of the phone you will find a USB-C connection, a volume rocker and a power switch. And there is a headphone jack, which is a nice touch these days.

The phone is also comfortable to hold and is very light. Part of it probably has to do with the fact that the back of the phone is made of plastic instead of glass, but it still feels pretty high quality and doesn't seem to scratch or ring easily.

A modern design is one thing that sets some midrange phones apart from the competition. For example, the iPhone SE has a greater focus on performance than design, although it still looks good. Then there is the Pixel 4a, which also offers an edge-to-edge design, but only costs $ 350.

display

At 6.7 inches, the display of the Galaxy A71 5G is slightly larger than that of the Galaxy A51 with 6.5 inches. Here, however, the differences end – you still get the same AMOLED panel with a resolution of 1080p and a refresh rate of 60 Hz.

This is not necessarily a bad thing. The display actually looks great, and although a higher resolution would have been nice, a flagship-level display would hardly be expected. This is particularly true given the fact that it is still an AMOLED panel that provides deep black levels and vivid colors. It can also get light enough to be used outdoors even in direct sunlight. In a few years, we should expect 1440p resolutions for midrange phones, but right now this is a great display for a phone in this price range.

A higher refresh rate may have been estimated, but is not expected in this price range. With a higher refresh rate, the software feels smoother and the animations are more natural. Samsung's high-end phones, such as the Galaxy S20, offer refresh rates of up to 120 Hz. We hope that these higher rates will also apply to mid-range phones in the next few years.

There is a fingerprint sensor under the display, which apparently works quite well. It worked much faster and more accurately than the Galaxy A51's fingerprint sensor. It has occasionally failed, but no more than other fingerprint sensors I use.

performance

Under the hood, the Galaxy A71 5G offers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 processor, 6 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The result is a fast phone that's reactive and fast enough for most multitasking and even most mobile games. This is in direct contrast to the Galaxy A51 which, due to its Exynos 9611 processor, generally seemed to freeze and stutter under more than easy use.

Of course, it's not necessarily the best performing phone in its price range, especially in a flagship iPhone SE world. The iPhone SE offers the A13 Bionic chip from Apple – the same processor as the iPhone 11 Pro. The best comparison in the Android world would be the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865, which can only be found on flagship phones like the Galaxy S20.

The Galaxy A71 5G will outperform the vast majority of the competition. The phone will outperform the Snapdragon 730-equipped Pixel 4a, but in everyday use, the Pixel 4a may feel a bit smoother and more responsive due to its stripped down software. We have to wait until we get our hands on a Pixel 4a.

The Galaxy A71 5G also performs well in mobile gaming. The phone seemed to be able to handle games like Call of Duty: Mobile and Asphalt 9 with ease, and while it didn't load as quickly as flagship phones, the actual gaming felt smooth and smooth.

The solid performance is also reflected in benchmarks. Here are the benchmark results we got on the phone.

  • AnTuTu: 324,648
  • GeekBench 5: 617 single-core, 1,916 multi-core

These results are excellent for a phone in this price range. It doesn't really come close to the iPhone SE, which reaches over 480,000 on AnTuTu, but with the Snapdragon 765, it should surpass almost anything else that is cheaper. If you can add an additional $ 50 to $ 100 to your budget, you can of course purchase the OnePlus 8, which offers a flagship Snapdragon 865 and even better performance than the Galaxy A71.

This device also offers 5G support, making it one of the cheapest phones. It supports both mmWave and Sub-6GHz 5G, so you should be able to achieve ultra-fast speeds wherever your network operator offers them. This won't be one of the cheapest 5G phones for long – manufacturers are likely to add more and more 5G modems to their phones this year. The Google Pixel 4a 5G is due to appear sometime in the fall and will only cost $ 500.

If you want 5G on a budget now, this may be the way to go – but wait a few months and you'll likely have a lot more options.

software

The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G comes with Samsung's One UI operating system. Samsung's software skin has evolved significantly over the years, improving usability and removing bloatware. Still, Samsung could be even better at generally offering less third-party software. The T-Mobile variant Galaxy A71 5G contains a number of T-Mobile apps, an extensive selection of Microsoft apps that you may not want or need, Spotify, McAfee and much more. Some of these apps can be removed, others stay with you.

A user interface generally looks and feels relatively different from standard Android, thanks to its larger square apps, more colorful user interface, and wide range of customizations. You can choose between the classic three-button navigation system or the new Android gesture controls from Google. A user interface also has some unique features like the built-in screen recorder, integration with Windows computers when you want to set them up, and more.

Customization is another strength of Samsung software. A user interface offers a variety of customization options, and many people love the ability to tweak pretty much anything related to the home screen, theme, etc. However, others simply feel overwhelmed by all options and are better served by OnePlus & # 39; OxygenOS, the standard Android offered on a pixel phone or even Apple's iOS.

As is so often the case with Samsung phones, the Galaxy A71 5G is unlikely to receive super-fast updates. We expect the phone to receive important updates for at least a year. Hopefully it will make it on Android 11, but Samsung hasn't confirmed anything and you shouldn't buy the phone as you hope it gets a lot of updates. If you want to stay up to date with Android, buy a pixel.

Camera quality

The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G offers a quad lens camera with a 64 megapixel main sensor, a 12 megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 5 megapixel macro sensor and a 5 megapixel depth sensor. It's a solid selection of cameras, and although I personally would have preferred a telephoto lens to a macro lens, the Galaxy A71 5G can generally deliver great photos.

Of course, the photo quality depends on the situation, and a phone is not necessarily as consistent as more expensive devices. When the lighting is good, the photos are colorful and bright, with adequate dynamic range and solid details. In low-light conditions, the photos are relatively noisy and have no details, which is usually the case with medium-range phones. There's a built-in night mode that removes the noise, but photos are still not on the same level as devices like the iPhone 11 Pro and Google Pixel 4 XL.

The elephant in the room here is the new Google Pixel 4a. There are few early reviews of the Pixel 4a, but most suggest that the device offers a camera that matches the standard Pixel 4. This is a flagship camera in a $ 350 phone. Don't expect this on the Galaxy A71 5G, though the phone comes a lot closer to a flagship in price.

The macro lens is more or less useless for the phone because it has a fixed focal length and is therefore extremely difficult to focus on a subject. Even if you get a good focus, there aren't many details and the colors are a bit subdued.

Despite the problems, you will find that photos are more than passable in most situations.

Battery life

The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G easily lasted a whole day under relatively heavy use, and we don't expect anyone to have any real issues with the battery life itself. The battery of the Galaxy A71 5G has a capacity of 4,500 mAh, and at the end of a long working day, I still had 30% to 40% left.

If you run out of juice at some point, you can charge the device relatively quickly. The phone supports 25-watt quick charge, which means the device gets 50% of its battery back in just 30 minutes. It’s pretty impressive.

The only feature that's really lacking is wireless charging, although it's not necessarily unacceptable that a phone in this price range doesn't have this feature. We hope that wireless charging will become cheaper phones over the next few years.

Price and availability

The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G is located between real mid-range phones and flagships and costs $ 650. Depending on your wireless service provider, you can get it at a cheaper price. For example, T-Mobile is offering the phone for $ 600. It's actually not a bad price considering what you get – but there is definitely some competition in the price range. The device is available from Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and directly from the Samsung website.

Our opinion

With solid performance, modern design, and 5G support, the Samsung Galaxy A71 is a great phone for the price. The fact that it offers 5G support is probably not a reason to buy the phone alone, but it's an added bonus. However, the proliferation of new budget phones at the flagship level dampens the excitement about their value.

Are there alternatives?

If you can spend an additional $ 50 to $ 100, you get the OnePlus 8, which offers better performance and a more modern design.

If you're ready to make the switch, the iPhone SE will perform better than any other Android device and will only cost $ 400.

Then there is the Pixel 4a, which is unlikely to perform as well as the Galaxy A71 5G, but offers a much better camera, modern design, and more – all for $ 300 less than this phone.

How long should it take?

The Samsung Galaxy A71 5G does not have an IP protection class. You should therefore keep it away from the pool or bathroom if possible. The phone should last a good two years before it needs to be replaced. The plastic back breaks much less often than a glass shelf.

The Galaxy A71 5G offers a limited one-year warranty, but only covers manufacturing defects.

Should you buy it

Yes, but only if you want a solid Samsung phone for $ 650 or less. Otherwise, consider spending more on the OnePlus 8, or save almost half of that money, and purchase the Pixel 4a.

Editor's recommendations




04 Aug
Blog

Raycon E55 Earbuds Review: Overhyped, Mediocre Performance

raycon earphones e55 the performer review 2

"Raycon's marketing-heavy hype machine largely doesn't live up to expectations."

  • Comfortable fit

  • Small charging case

  • Wireless charging

  • Feel cheap build

  • The bass overwhelms the mids and highs

  • No app, so the EQ cannot be adjusted

  • Terrible call quality

If you're like me, you've heard of Raycon earphones while either listening to a sponsored piece on the radio or listening to your favorite YouTuber. Raycon clearly spends a lot of money marketing its products. If you visit the company's website, you will see a lot of pictures of satisfied customers and some very big names in music that support the brand.

We were clearly a marketing-intensive hype machine and asked ourselves: are raycons really good? We grabbed a pair of the company's top $ 120 E55 The Performer earphones and put them through their paces.

Out of the box

With Raycon doing much of its marketing, it should come as no surprise that the box is pretty darn good. Even the shipping box carries the Raycon brand, and the actual product box offers exactly what I would expect from a high-end earphone brand.

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The front is held in place by a magnet and opens to reveal a pitch-black interior and some brochures that invite you to the "next wave," as Raycon's slogan says. The buds are carefully embedded in the housing below, with a charging cable and additional earplugs in a small square box next to it.

Regarding earplugs, Raycon includes a total of five silicon earplug sizes, more than most companies offer. I personally have very small ear canals, so I replaced the tips attached to the buds with their smallest size.

Fit and ready

The Raycon charger case is wonderfully small and light, so that even the petite Jabra 75t case looks large in comparison. It even looks a bit smaller than the AirPods Pro case, although Raycon chose a more rounded square design over Apple's rounded rectangle. The Raycon logo is on the front of the case. The only edge of the otherwise smooth case is a small plastic loop through which you can run a mini lanyard provided.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

I don't understand the need for a lanyard, so I'm not a big fan of it. I wish this little loop nubs didn't exist because it would have resulted in a much smoother end product. I think the idea is that you might want to attach this to a bag or something else, but frankly, I don't trust that the case will stay closed and the buds will be attached inside if I zip it up on the outside would pull off my backpack. The magnet that holds the lid closed and the one that holds the buds in their charging cradle are all pretty strong, but I still wouldn't trust them swinging around behind me.

While we are working on the magnets, the buds snap into place well and firmly when loading and the housing remains firmly closed. No complaints there.

The Raycon earphones fit my ear really well.

The case is compatible with wireless chargers, but can also be charged using a USB Type-C connector. A small LED next to the connector lights up red during the charging process. When you're done, it glows green.

The buds themselves are what I would classify as “cheap” in terms of their processing quality. They are fully plastic and extremely light, which is actually nice considering that they have to sit on your ear, but they just don't feel good. They are shiny, slippery, and feel inferior, as is common with cheap products. The fact that we have come so far with an otherwise high quality experience just to find that the buds are below this brand is disappointing.

Apart from the disappointing quality, the Raycon earphones fit very well in my ear. They snap into my ear canal and upper concha with slight pressure, which holds them really well, without making me tired over time. They actually fit better than the AirPods, which surprised me. I also appreciate how flat they are on my head. This is probably why Raycon shows so many customer selfies on its website: when they are worn, they look good.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The Performer earphones can be quickly connected to your phone using the conventional method (via the Bluetooth menu) and always greet you with a voice that sings “Raycon” every time it is switched on. They pair quickly and reliably, but I have found that sometimes when they are put back in their suitcases they are not separated. I put them away more than a few times and went to another room, only to find that my iPhone was still connected, and tried to send them sound. This is a problem that I have only seen in the past with really cheap, low quality earphones. So it's not great to see this here.

The buds have physical buttons on the left and right and mostly work quite well. There is a slight delay when asked to do something that is not unusual but worth mentioning. You can pause, play, skip, answer, and hang up the phone, and even control the volume using a number of different morse code-like taps. These worked as announced.

Sound and call quality

I get straight to the point here: The Raycon earphones sound good. All good. They won't blow you away with their quality, but if you bought them on the recommendation of your favorite YouTuber, you probably won't be too disappointed either. They do the job and offer heavier basses than standard basses, but are not nearly top of the class in this regard. When I first used it, I admitted that I was initially amazed at how much skullbeat bass they could throw out, but finally got tired of it because that bass overwhelmed the mids and highs to the point where they got the details crush. Overall, I think the EQ is off for those who want to hear everything in their music, but they should be enough if you just want to enjoy the beat of your favorite song.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

Sias Save My Life gives you a good feel for the lower frequencies that resemble a dance club, but the higher timbres that make Sia's voice so exciting are lost as the bass so obscures the frequency range. If you're a fan of clear vocals, you probably won't be particularly happy with the sound of the Raycon earphones.

The Raycon earphones sound good. All good.

The thing is, if the idea of ​​bass-heavy buds sounds exactly in your alley, they are still not the best choice for it in their price range. The bass is actually stronger on the Jabra Elite 65ts (and the Elite 75ts is even better). With these you can also adjust the EQ via an app to adapt the listening experience to your specifications. This leads to another disadvantage of the Raycon earphones: they have no app. So you hear what you get.

The Raycons don't offer noise cancellation, which is pretty normal for earphones in this price range. However, the noise isolation you get with these feels below average. It may be the poor build quality, but without music I can pretty easily hear everything around me, even though it's stuck in my ears.

These are downright terrible to make calls.

Raycon advertises phone calls as great, but the company really shouldn't: they are terrible for phone calls. You can hear the other end perfectly, but you will have difficulty recognizing your voice as the earphones make you sound like a mixture of underwater and different distances. Your voice will go in and out to everyone you speak, resulting in an overall terrible listening experience for them.

Battery life and connectivity

According to Raycon, the buds should last six hours per charge and a total of up to 36 hours with the six charges available in the case. Six hours per charge is really too low in the middle of the road compared to what's out there, but I've actually found that the buds have exceeded this specification. I wore them for a full working day, eight hours, and they kept going without any problems. I think you should probably count on six hours, but if you grab a pair, they may last longer than what is very nice. They also charge up quickly and I honestly had no major problem with the battery here.

Jaron Schneider / Digital Trends

The connectivity was not outstanding and they underperformed all of the other modern earbuds I've tested. I couldn't even make it to my garden halfway through my kitchen with my cell phone, and the buds would cut out. If you always have your phone right next to you, you will probably be fine, but I have little hope that this will work well in rooms with a lot of interference, such as airports or streets in New York.

Our opinion

Raycon's marketing-heavy hype machine promises too much here, with buds that do enough right that anyone who buys them is likely to be happy, but not the right recommendation in their price range. In the included bud literature, the company claims that the goal from the start was to offer high quality buds at a lower cost than the competition, but they don't really. These buds are missing from the $ 120 feature section, but even if you use the YouTube discount code you heard to lower them to $ 100, they're still sub-par overall.

Is there a better alternative?

The Jabra Elite 65ts are a great alternative, and although their RRP like the Raycons according to this influencer discount code is $ 120, they're now available on Amazon for under $ 100. The Edifier TWS6s are just as solid a purchase as the Sony WF-XB700s.

How long will they last?

Raycon offers a one year warranty which is fairly standard. The build quality is important, however, so I can't say they consistently last much longer than two to three years.

Should you buy them

No, unless the sole purpose is to support a content creator you want and get something in return. These buds are mediocre and have no really prominent feature that makes them any better than their competition.

Editor's recommendations




04 Aug
Blog

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 Review: Too Cheap to Be Good?

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review 06

Dell Inspiron 14 5000 review: Too cheap for your own good?

"The Dell Inspiron 14 5000 is a cheap laptop that feels and works like one."

  • Decent productivity performance

  • The touchpad works reliably

  • Affordable

  • Good expandability

  • Poor build quality

  • The battery life is terrible

  • Chunky design

Budget laptops are experiencing a renaissance. The latest models were slimmer, faster, and more durable than ever – in some cases, they competed with premium laptops.

If you need some examples, just check out laptops like the Lenovo Yoga C640, the Lenovo Flex 5 14, and the Acer Swift 3 with Ryzen. From performance to design, it's hard to overstate how good these laptops have gotten.

I looked at the Inspiron 14 5000 from Dell to see if it was in line with the trend. My test device was equipped with a 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU, 8 GB RAM, a 256 GB solid-state drive (SSD) and a 14-inch 1080p display. This configuration of the Inspiron 14 5000 costs $ 650, but is currently available for $ 580.

This is a very attractive price, but can the Inspiron 14 5000 exceed the bar set by other current inexpensive laptops?

design

Sometimes a laptop is made of plastic, but doesn't feel like it. It is very rigid and exudes a high quality feel – the Lenovo Flex 5 14 is a prime example (yes, I will mention this laptop in this review). Then there is the Inspiron 14 5000, a plastic laptop that looks and feels.

The cover, the keyboard cover and the case base are bent and bent far too much. A year ago I might have written it off because of the price. Today, the Inspiron just feels cheap. Even opening the hinge looked cheap – the hinge is quite stiff and you have to open it with two hands. And yet the screen wobbled during use.

The Inspiron 14 5000 is similar to many laptops in this price range.

The Inspiron 14 5000 is also quite chunky at 0.83 inches thick and 3.63 pounds. These dimensions are fairly close to the 0.82 inches and 3.3 pounds of the Flex 5 14. However, the Flex 5 14 always felt that it had the build quality to justify the extra bulk. The Inspiron 14 5000, on the other hand, simply feels like an old-school budget laptop that's too big just because the technical costs weren't spent on downsizing it.

The Ryzen-based Swift 3 from Acer, another 14-inch clamshell laptop, only costs 0.63 inches and 2.65 pounds and costs only $ 650. If there is really a new wave of high-quality budget laptops on the go, the Dell doesn't fit.

The Inspiron 14 5000 is similar to many laptops in this price range. It has a silver chassis with a few chrome accents here and there. The dark bezels don't add to the look, and even though they're thin enough on the sides, the massive chin is unsightly.

Once again, the Inspiron 14 5000 looks like an inexpensive old school laptop and not like one of the newer machines that should cost more in this case. The Lenovo Yoga C640 and Flex 5 14 are examples of better designed budget devices.

The expandability is an advantage of the Inspiron 14 5000 over its competitors.

The expandability is an advantage of the Inspiron 14 5000 over its competitors. You can configure two drives, up to a 2 TB hard disk drive (HDD) and up to an SSD with 512 GB at the same time. This is an advantage for anyone who has to carry around a lot of files.

Dell also used the larger case to equip some ports. There are two USB-A 3.1 Gen 1 ports, a USB-A 2.0 port, a full-size HDMI port, an Ethernet drop-jaw port, and a full-size SD card reader. If you choose to configure with a discrete GPU, you will also get a USB-C 3.1 port.

Overall, Thunderbolt 3 is missing, but it's an impressive collection of ports. The wireless connection is Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.0.

performance

The Inspiron 14 5000 uses a 10th generation Intel Core i5-1035G1 CPU, a midrange processor from the core series that promises solid quad-core performance. The Inspiron delivered that – good performance that does justice to the CPU, but nothing special. The challenge for Dell is that two of the other competitors mentioned, the Flex 5 14 and the Swift 3, use AMD's Ryzen 4000 processors that make the Intel offering a mince at this price.

In Geekbench 5, the Inspiron scored 1,169 points in the single-core test and 3,197 points in the multi-core test. This is comparable to another laptop with the same CPU, the Acer Spin 3, which scored 1,215 and 3,615 points. However, this is not the real story as the Flex 5 14 reached 1,096 and 4,543 and the Swift 3 reached 1,120 and 4,831. It is clear that the AMD chips can use their additional cores for significantly better performance and at the same basic price.

The same goes for our more realistic handbrake test, which converts a 420MB file to H.265. Here, the Inspiron took just over 4.6 minutes to complete the test, compared to the Spin 3 with just over four minutes, which means that the Inspiron even lagged behind its most direct competitor. The Flex 5 14 took only 2.7 minutes and the Swift 3 in 2.5 minutes. This shows how much faster the AMD processors are for demanding tasks.

Don't get me wrong – the Inspiron 14 5000 does the work for productivity tasks, surfing the Internet, consuming media, and the like. Laptops like the Flex 5 14 and the Swift 3, which use the excellent new silicon from AMD, are however facing strong competition.

Display and speakers

Some inexpensive laptops make up for other shortcomings by outfitting a nice display, like the Yoga C640, which has a display that can keep up with laptops that cost more than twice as much. Unfortunately, this is not the Inspiron 14 5000 – its display lies far behind the curve and shows the kind of low quality that we once thought we would see with laptops in this price range.

First of all, it suffers from a very low brightness, namely 195 nits, which is significantly below our preferred 300 nits and has a real influence on working on the laptop, displaying images and watching videos. It's an anti-glare display, and that helps a little. But as you can see in the photos above, it is still a little difficult to read with any significant ambient lighting. The Yoga C640 and Flex 5 14 both achieved more reasonable 242 nits in comparison.

The display is another area in which the Inspiron 14 5000 cannot stand out from the competition.

The contrast is low at 720: 1, and we want to see 1,000: 1 or more. Admittedly, not many inexpensive laptops offer nearly this contrast. The Yoga C640 was an exception to 1040: 1. The Flex 5 14 was more like the Inspiron with 770: 1.

With only 64% of sRGB and 48% of AdobeRGB, the color depth was also missing. The Yoga C640 reached 96% of sRGB and 73% of AdobeRGB, a much stronger value, while the Flex 5 14 was also bad at 63% and 47%, respectively. However, the Inspiron's color accuracy was decent at 1.74 (below 1.0 is considered excellent).

The Inspiron 14 5000 display guides you easily through your productivity tasks, but you won't love the experience. Ultimately, it is another area where the Inspiron 14 5000 cannot stand out from some of its competitors.

The audio was mixed similarly. The speakers offer a lot of volume, but some distortion when things get louder. The bass was missing and mids and highs were not pleasant, which made this a disappointing sound system. You will undoubtedly want to connect headphones or use an external Bluetooth speaker if you do more than just watch YouTube videos occasionally.

Keyboard and touchpad

The Inspiron 14 5000 is not equipped with the excellent keyboard that you find in the more expensive XPS series, but instead uses a version with smaller keycaps and less distance, which gives a somewhat cramped feeling. The mechanism is fine, with good travel and a precise click that doesn't fall uncomfortably on the ground. If you are a typist with a quick touch, this keyboard may not reach your maximum speed, but you are not too far away.

The touchpad is equally sufficient. It is a Microsoft Precision touchpad that reliably supports the multi-touch gestures of Windows 10. The surface is comfortable and offers good tactile feedback. There is no touch display here, which may or may not be important to you. I prefer laptops with touch displays, but I may be a minority there.

Windows 10 Hello is provided by a fingerprint reader that is integrated into the unmarked power button. I was able to log in quickly and accurately without ever needing my PIN or password.

Battery life

Another measure of an inexpensive old school laptop is the battery life, which is rather poor because the battery capacity is sacrificed in the name of cost. The Inspiron 14 5000 suffers from a poor 42.5-watt-hour battery, which is significantly less than the 52.5-watt-hour in the Lenovo Flex 5 14. For a laptop with a core CPU and 14-inch battery, that's not much Juice display. My battery tests have only confirmed this.

First, the Inspiron 14 5000 only took an hour and a half in our demanding Basemark web benchmark test. This is a poor score that typically applies to gaming laptops that run fast CPUs at full throttle. The Flex 5 14, which we did not rate well for the battery life, lasted almost four hours and the Yoga C640 over 3.5 hours. Simply put, the Dell won't last long if you press the CPU.

The next step was our web browsing test, in which the Inspiron achieved 4.7 hours. This is also a bad result: the Flex 5 14 lasts eight hours, the Yoga C640 10.5 hours and the Acer Swift 3 with Ryzen almost eight hours. With the Inspiron 14 50oo, you are unlikely to spend more than half a day doing light productivity and web browsing tasks.

We ended up running our local Full HD movie trailer until the battery ran out and the Inspiron 14 5000 couldn't make it to six hours. The Flex 5 14 did 11 hours, the Yoga C640 23 hours (pretty bizarre) and the Swift 3 10 hours.

The bottom line is that the Inspiron 14 5000 has a poorer battery life, which is disappointing despite the price – and especially compared to some other current affordable laptops.

Our opinion

The Dell Inspiron 14 5000 is an affordable, old-school notebook that cuts corners everywhere, making it a little difficult to check it out so soon after checking out the Lenovo Flex 5 14 and Yoga C640. The Inspiron's display is boring, the performance is affected by Ryzen 4000 laptops, and the battery life is terrible.

Budget laptops are getting better and the Inspiron 14 5000 has been left behind.

Are there alternatives?

This test shows that there are better alternatives than the Inspiron 14 5000. The most important of these is the Lenovo Flex 5 14 for $ 600, which offers a similarly poor display, but which Dell outperforms in terms of performance, battery life, durability, and overall good performance. It's also a 2-in-1 game, which is a nice advantage.

You can also opt for the Acer Swift 3, another 14-inch clamshell that is faster and has better battery life. And it costs the same as Dell's retail price and is worth the $ 80 premium at the Inspiron's retail price.

How long it will take?

The Inspiron 14 5000 does not inspire as much confidence in its durability. It will probably make a few falls, but I don't want to abuse it. As usual, the one-year guarantee is standard and disappointing.

Should you buy it

No. The Inspiron 14 5000 might have been attractive at a price a few months ago, but there are many much cheaper laptops today.

Editor's recommendations




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